The coticule is a vintage? combo stone; yellow and blue. I got it from a vendor that deals with straight razor products. So, I assume I have the right thing.

I followed Bart's unicot method. Basically at the start, 20 half x strokes on each side, test arm hair. It said you can do this 2-20 times. I did at least 20. So, yeah...doing the math, I suppose just on this one stroke I did do about 600ish. Wow, adds up quick.

But, as one of you say, it can take a few hours.

I agree and admit synthetics would be much faster. You said an Escher...I have a Thurry stone...isn't this the same? Or am I way off?

This was a test to see if I could make a razor shave ready. It was my very first time doing so. I say my stroke isn't really there on the x stroke, mainly because it isn't quite comfortable yet. When I have the blade coming towards me I feel quite "left-handed", though I am right handed. Feels odd. At times it raises. I have been trying to slow it down and keep it on the stone. Something I am sure I will get better at with practice. Or, under supervision of someone that knows what they are doing can say, "Hey, Rick...THIS way...!".

I suppose I should have kept generating and keeping a thick slurry on the stone whilst bevel setting?

I will do the marker test next time.

Should I start from the beginning or where? Say the razor has the bevel set and shaves arm hair and my marker test shows well? Wondering how/ where to start?

I suppose this is the "art" of honing all together, is it not? Knowing what a razor needs? Whether to start on 4k, or what? Or do most of you take it all the way back to the beginning or is each razor different? Just comes with time?

Thanks for all the great help.